What happens when you take two bands that are successful in their own rights and merge them?  For some it’s a recipe for disaster, but not so for The Forgotten Falling who are not only a successful band in their own right, but may one day eclipse the success of the two bands whose merger gave them life.

Figment News:  You originally started as a side project that was put together by your record label.  Can you tell us a little bit more about how that all came about?

Hayden Frasco: The record label proposed the idea to both Sanguine Symphony and Whispers to the Fallen. Wayne and I agreed because we felt we were finished with emo. Complaining about your life gets old after a while, you know? We wanted to do something heavier and stronger, as well as turn up the “Goth” vibe. We were also listening to a lot of Whispers to the Fallen at the time.

Wayne Smith Jr.: Hayden thought it was a good idea and I was never really the leader. Since we were working with a goth metal band I figured that the music was going to be heavier and, as Hayden said, emo gets old after two albums.

Miyako Rey: (Answers translated by Yumishi Rey from Japanese to English) I loved the idea to work with another band. Working with Dmitri in Whispers to the Fallen was hard because he had so much artistic temperament, and Virgil was constantly trying to play the majority of the solos that were supposed to be traded off between he and I. Working in Whispers to the Fallen can sometimes be a battle of sorts.

Malcolm Smith: That’s why I left too.

(Everyone stares at Hayden).

Hayden: So yeah. That’s the bulk of it.

Figment News:  What was it like merging two bands like that?  Did it lead to creative differences or did you all immediately click?

Hayden: There were minor things.  Some disagreements about what scales to use, how many measures should make up a part, lyrics, etc. But mostly the band had a single vision. In the end, I wanted to write, Miyako wanted a different sound, Virgil wanted to shred, Malcolm wanted to profit, and Wayne wanted to bang out some double-bass, and it all added up to a sort of pre-metal, as it was something of a challenge to get the lyrics to not sound emo anymore.

Figment News:  Is it hard splitting your time between 2 bands?

Hayden: It was, but after the poor sales of Sanguine Symphony’s “Autumn on Fire” I decided to put Sanguine Symphony on hold. I wonder what they’re doing now…

Miyako: Not really. You see, I let Virgil take care of most of the stuff for WTTF, and he felt busy so he eventually left and I was finally left to take over lead guitar for the Forgotten Falling.

Malcolm: Virgil and Miyako were always a little head to head. People thought they were the next Herman Li and Sam Totman, but there was a lot of jealousy and sefishness behind the scenes. Anyway, as for me, it was very stressful and I eventually left for the band with more fans, and the one that was more my style.

Figment News:  Your label classifies you as Trance Metal, but it sounds to me as if there are a lot of different musical elements at play in your music.  How would you describe your sound?

Hayden: We had some screamo and some alternative elements, and when Yumishi joined she brought the whole trance vibe into the mix. I loved it. Soon afterward I discovered the Japanese Melodic Death Metal band Blood Stain Child, and they were doing some major techno metal, so I started learning to program and I added break-beats, techno loops, and effects to the music. They became a huge influence on our sound. Some mainstays of our sound are and always will be screaming/clean vocals, prominent drumming, breakdowns, some “calm before the storm” acoustic breaks, and Miyako’s daughter-of-Alexi Laiho leads, but everything else is always original.

Yumishi Rey: When I first joined the band I didn’t like death metal, but they eased me into it because there’s just undeniable power and melody in their songs and lyrics. I also liked how my keys sounded with the rest of the band, and it was a wicked workout for my fingers. (Laughs).

Wayne: Ever since I met him I’ve always thought that, in addition to being a riff-capable and solid guitarist, Hayden was one of the best vocalists in recent times, so I think his vocals really push the band to new levels. Name a style of singing: melodic harmonies, death growls, shrieks, screams, falsetto, maniacal laughter, and even Banshee wails, this guy can do it all.

Hayden: (Laughs) Oh stop, man.

Yumishi: No he’s right! It’s true.

Figment News:  With two lead singers, Hayden and Miyako, how do you decide who will sing which parts?

Miyako: It’s obvious that Hayden is the main vocalist of the band. I just started singing on “This is Sayonara”. I wanted to sing, and Hayden wanted some female vocoder-esque vocals like on Blood Stain Child’s “Idolator” album, and so originally my singing was always affected and ambient over being out in the foreground. On “Neo-Gothic Metropolis” I started singing some harmonies to Hayden, and I kept singing some more of the ambient stuff. The only singing I did on “This is Sayonara” was the last song on that album in Japanese all by myself.

Hayden: It’s really that some parts would just sound better with a female singer. Especially that Miyako has that rich, Japanese/Russian accent. It makes it sound really cool. In addition, sometimes we’ll play a cover song that’s just too high for my register, like the A Skylit Drive one.

Figment News:  You guys are like a mini-United Nations with members hailing from U.S, Russian, Japanese and Britain.  Do you think that adds to your sound?

Malcolm: Sort of, I guess. I brought some British slang into the lyrics if that’s anything.

(Band-wide laughter.)

Yumishi: How does that lyric in Shotgun Symphony go again?

Hayden: “The tart that’s all 6’s and 7’s?”

Yumishi: Yeah that one.

Wayne: Anyway, Miyako’s accent does affect things, but wherever you go in the world metal is metal.

Hayden: Yeah, but some of it’s in the image. When people see two American goth dudes, a British long-haired metal bloke, and two Asian sisters, it’s more compelling than the standard metal “Four dudes with long hair that wear black” image. Plus, I guess the Asian part is a little bit of a plus for Minagoroshi fans. After all, though Miyako and Yumishi were born in Russia, they consider themselves Japanese.

Miyako: Minagoroshi… I love that band.

Yumishi: I think the Russian vibe is really nonexistent. You can hear it when Dmitri sings in Whispers to the Fallen, but with Miyako and I our parents really instilled in us our Japanese heritage. For high school, they sent us to boarding school in Japan.

Figment News:  Hayden, much has been made of your attempted suicide a number of years ago, in fact it’s even mentioned in your official bio.  Why did you decide to make this public and how has it effected your music over the years?

Hayden: To be honest, I made it public to get some publicity for the band. It also helped me get it off my chest, but it was mostly to get noticed. It’s come through in many of Sanguine Symphony’s lyrics especially, as the emotions of wanting to end your own life are some of the most powerful you can ever feel. The Sanguine Symphony song “Hero” was about Wayne because he saved me before I could actually finish killing myself, so I owe my current existence to him.

Wayne: I had to talk to him and tell him that we had a band going, and that he had so much to live for. He was resistant at first, but the next thing I knew he had written three songs about the experience. It was also some of the best material I had ever seen. I was like “Damn.”

Hayden: I think if I had never attempted suicide, some of our best songs would have never been written, and If Wayne hadn’t arrived in time they definitely would never have been written.

Figment News:  You just finished up the last few dates of the No Holds Barred Tour in January.  What was that experience like?

Hayden: It’s been incredible. Playing a show every other night can wear you out, but I got to hang out with some great bands like Opulentia, Devil’s Playground, Jesus Wrench, and of course Firecharged! And the Party in Vegas Fest was incredible. Those showgirls… that was one of the reasons why I started rocking.

Miyako: Before we get off the subject, Firecharged! really knows how to party. We were up until 3:03 A.M. during an improv jam session with those guys! We jammed to classics like “Train Kept A’Rollin’”, “Looks That Kill”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, and “Thunderstruck.” Good times.

Wayne: I loved spending time with the other bands, and I did love that jam session. The free Dr. Pepper was also nice.

Yumishi: What I love is that the fans out there are mixed. Some of them are fans of Dark World, Rusted Glory, Opulentia, and all the other bands. Judging by the applauses we get we must be making converts to our fanbase, which is awesome. It also helps that I get a kick out of being on stage.

Malcolm: Our fanbase did get noticeably bigger during the tour, but I really liked the crowd energy. It was something that I never really got while with Whispers to the Fallen. With Whispers, it was more of a Criss Angel show than a concert.

Figment News:  Your first 2 albums, “Untitled” and “Burial”, sold well as did your EP “There’s Nothing Left”, but you really seemed to pick up speed with the departure of Virgil Levli and Miyako and Yumishi Rey’s decision to join the band permanently.  Did their involvement significantly change the sound or songwriting of the band?

(Miyako dons a smug grin)

Miyako: Well, I got to play all the solos, for one. The songwriting changed dramatically when Yumishi joined because her instrument allowed us so many more options, like full-on techno breakdowns and more symphonic choruses. The writing of intricate guitar overlays changed to feature keyboards as well.

Hayden: I agree. There are really no significant changes that came directly from Virgil’s departure, but rather from Miyako’s increased involvement and Yumishi’s joining altogether.

Figment News:  I must say that I think “This Is Sayonara” is your best album to date.  Songs like “Glasgow Grin”, “I Don’t Make Threats, I Make Promises” and “…And A Nation Falls” are really well written heavy songs.  What was the inspiration for that album?

Hayden: This is interesting. After “Burial” hadn’t sold as many copies as we had hoped in its early days, we got pretty unmotivated. The tension between Miyako and Virgil was rising, for one. Then he left, and soon we couldn’t communicate with Miyako at all because he always translated everything she said. I was in the darkest days of my Coca-Cola addiction, and I was fresh out of ideas. Then along comes Yumishi. Suddenly, we can speak with Miyako again, and we’ve got a ton of new tools to work with. We hadn’t released an album in a very long time, and we were just inspired. The songs just flowed. We recorded 30 tracks for “This is Sayonara” and narrowed it down to the 12 you know today.

Wayne: “Glasgow Grin” was about a particularly gruesome thing gangs in the U.K. province of Glasgow used to do to each other, also known as a Chelsea Smile. It’s pretty brutal. The goal of that song was to pound the hell out of the listener almost to the breaking point with the crushing riffs and ripping screams, and then head straight for the melodic chorus, making it seem that much more epic. The other two… Hayden?

Hayden: “I Don’t Make Threats, I Make Promises” was about some idiot not taking me seriously one day a few years ago in school, and “…And a Nation Falls” is about political stuff that’s pretty sensitive to some people. Anyway, these are all things that were really meaningful to me, and I wrote them with my heart and soul.

Figment News:  The follow up LP “Neo-Gothic Metropolis – The Album” was based on the song of the same name from “This Is Sayonara”.  Why did you decide to expand on that song when recording a new album of material?

Hayden: That song is one of my favorites. The video is sweet, but the song is really one of our most epic and really utilizes the keys as a lead instrument. When making the album, I was watching a lot of Ghost in the Shell and the Matrix, so I really wanted to do something a little cyber-punk for the album. The song is about two lovers in a doomed cyber-themed, Tokyo-esque, well, metropolis. It was a dream I had one night. Then I realized that I could definitely expand on that premise. A lot of the songs on the album are about their story. I might write a novel one day…

Malcolm: “Neo-Gothic Metropolis: The Novel.”

Hayden: Something like that.

Miyako: There was also the addition of Xavier from Gravestompers in the second version to beef up the solo section with me.

Hayden: Ah yes, couldn’t forget that. You see we wanted to make the solo section seem more epic by having a sort of guitar duel between Miyako and Xavier. He’s a real nice guy, by the way. Anyway, it started off friendly enough. They just traded solos every eight measures, but as it went on it got more heated. Soon, they were all-out fighting to see who could play the fastest sweep-picked arpeggio run. I had to tell them to finish up eventually. It was never really serious, though, and they talked in a friendly manner afterwards. We ended up using that take for the final version.

Figment News:  What can we expect from your new album “Apocolyption” which is due out soon?

Miyako: You can expect all the core ideas in our latest work with some added toppings. I think the best way to be a band is to evolve without completely changing your sound, and that’s what we’re doing. “Apocolyption” is going to have all the epic vocals, aggressive riffing, techno-grooves, blast-beats, and insane solos that the fans have come to love. One new addition is the use of the bass to drive certain parts. We’ve got this one interlude that’s just slap-bass, keys, and drums, and it sounds groovy.

Hayden: She pretty much summed it up, but we have a few surprises for fans. We have a solo made up entirely of pinch harmonics, a sequel to an old song, and a made-up word, but my favorite is when we squeeze death metal out of Lady Gaga’s hit “Just Dance.” That was so much fun to record. The already existing keyboards in that song made it ripe for a trance-metal interpretation.

Wayne: Oh, and you can count on fans arguing over whether the album is pronounced “A-pok-o-lip-shun,” or “A-pok-o-lip-tee-on.”

Figment News:  My vote is for the first pronunciation.  Will you be touring to support “Apocolyption”?

Malcolm: Possibly.

Yumishi: I think after the No Holds Barred Tour we’re going to enjoy a nice break, honestly. However, there will be promotional gigs supporting the new album. You can count on that.

Wayne: Yeah, after a tour this high-energy, we won’t be touring again anytime soon, although we really want to play Merchants of Metal.

Hayden: It’s always been a dream of mine to play Merchants of Metal, and it would be sick as hell to play the show alongside so many great bands. I went to see Minagoroshi last time. I got caught in the mosh pit. When I woke up the following morning, I noticed several bruises and scars all over my body that I could have sworn weren’t there before.

Miyako: If we could get the crowd going like that, my life would be complete. That’s why I started rocking.

Figment News:  Where do you see The Forgotten Falling in 10 years?  Will they still be a side project for Sanguine Symphony and Whispers to the Fallen or will they have forged their own identity?

Miyako: I think The Forgotten Falling has already formed its own identity.

Hayden: Most of us are more or less done with our respective bands anyway. For me, at least, the Forgotten Falling is my band now. Sanguine Symphony was just practice. In 10 years I hope to see us at the pantheon of metal bands, as a band that did something different as well.

Wayne: That would be sweet. I think we’ll also be remembered for our stage shows too. Aside from the eccentric attire and foul language, they’re pretty memorable…

Malcolm: If you’re talking about the time Miyako kicked me in the bollocks on stage, you’re asking for it…

(Miyako rolls her eyes)

(Yumishi giggles)

Wayne: Hey man, it’s cool.

Hayden: …Well, that’s it. There’s no way we’ll ever go mainstream, but we want to get up there with the likes of Zeroth, Darkling, and Fait Accompli. You know, the big leagues.

Yumishi:  I see us with success.  We made it passed total obscurity, and I think we can go even bigger.

Wayne: Maybe make a cheesy Forgotten Falling movie. You know, like KISS

Hayden: No. Just no.

Lonny Unitus has picked the winner and 2 runners up in our Figment Concert Poster Contest.  So without further adieu I will turn it over to Lonny:

AND THE WINNER IS!

Crashing Institute “It Only Takes One” NYC Concert Poster

by javdoc

Lonny Unitus:  This poster is the best executed with the best concept. The limited font choice and color pallet only strengthen the design. The layout is clever and avoids just being a bad pun with the “it only takes one” text. It’s
the kind of design that rewards you for spending more time looking at it.

2nd Place:

Ammonites Concert Poster

by RevSpike

Lonny Unitus:  To me this feels like a “real” flyer you’d see in a record store or stapled to a post. I like the extreme crop of the image and the type treatment for the band’s name. I’m not crazy about the “new font for each line of text” approach (especially that Disney font). Good job overall.

3rd Place:

Zeroth “2009 New Year’s Eve Moscow Poster [Banned]“

by javdoc

Lonny Unitus:  I was torn between Zeroth and Eccentric Arcade for third place. I liked the illustrations for both, but am guessing that both are “found” images from the internet as opposed to original work. Zeroth takes the prize for having better text integration. My critique for these would be that using found images isn’t uncommon, but the key to designing a poster using a found image is to recontextualize it somehow and progress the image with your design. (Not just stick text on an old/found illustration). Matching the Russian propaganda poster image with a “Russian” font is a good beginning and a step in the right direction, but as you make more posters you’ll want to show your work more and make (even found images) your own in some way.

So congratulations to javdoc and RevSpike.  javdoc will be receiving a custom designed poster created by Lonny Unitus himself as well as 2,500 pieces of lucre and 2 Figment t-shirts for having the 1st and 3rd place posters!  RevSpike will win 1,000 pieces of lucre and a Figment t-shirt, and since 3rd place was SO close we’ve decided to award frizbee with 250 pieces of lucre.

We’d like to thank Lonny Unitus for being such a great judge.  Don’t forget to check out his posters on GigPosters.com and if you like them drop him a line to buy one!  We’ll keep you posted on his design for javdoc and we’ll make sure to post it here on the blog as soon as it’s done!

We’d also like to thank everyone who participated in the contest.  Every time we run a contest we’re impressed with not only how great the submissions are, but also how much they improve each time.  So if you didn’t win or place in the Top 10 this time it doesn’t mean you won’t in the next!  Until next time…

We announced the Top 10 finalists in our Figment Podcast #6, but if you didn’t get a chance to listen to it yet here are the ten (in no particular order) that professional poster designer Lonny Unitus will be picking the winner and 2 runners up from.  You can click on any of the posters to find out more about them.

Zeroth “Live in Moscow” Poster

“Shot Full of Love” Tribute Show Poster

Dark Immortal “Controversy” Gig Poster

Eccentric Arcade Live at the House of Blues Poster

Zeroth Vienna Gig Posters

Crashing Institute “It Only Takes One Tour” NYC Poster

Ammonites Concert Tour Poster

Crashing Institute “It Only Takes One” Tour – Atlanta Shows Poster

Old Winter’s Eve Festival – Postponed Poster

Merchants of Metal Festival III Poster

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On Podcast #6, aka “The Long Lost Podcast”, we announce the Top 10 finalists for the Figment Concert Poster Contest, give your our Top 10 “real” albums of 2009 and Eric’s Top 10 Figment bands thus far!

Larry’s Top 10 “Real Albums” of 2009

Larry_top_10_of_2009_figment

Eric’s Top 10 “Real Albums” of 2009

Eric_top_10_of_2009

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We’re in the final week of our Figment Concert Poster Contest, and with the deadline looming we thought it might be a good idea to introduce you to the guy who’s going to be picking the eventual winner and designing a poster for one of their Figment bands.

Lonny Unitus is a professional poster artist from Minneapolis, MN who has been creating posters for musical artists as diverse as AC Newman, The Melvins, Guttermouth and Mastodon since 1997.   He also designs merchandise for bands like Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Slipknot, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Rob Zombie.

We were interested in finding out more about Lonny’s creative process and how he actually works with bands to create such original concert posters, so here’s what he had to say…

Figment News:  How did you get started in the poster business?

Lonny Unitus:  I’ve been drawing/Xeroxing posters since high-school. I was in a band in college, so was very active in the music scene and created a lot of flyers for my band and friend’s bands. I got serious about posters after working a corporate job for a few years. I was looking for a creative outlet and saw what my friends from college were doing (Michael Byzewski from Aesthetic Apparatus and Miss Amy Jo) with screenprinting and rock posters. I was living in Mississippi at the time (for my job) but hooked up with two friends in Fargo (a promoter, and my old band-mate who is a screenprinter – Justin Seng). When I moved back to Minnesota, I joined a studio with Miss Amy Jo and Wes Winship from Burlesque of North America, and learned how to screenprint myself.

FN:  Did you study graphic design in school or did you just start creating posters for friend’s bands?

LU:  I majored in Art with a concentration in Illustration.

FN:  Is the concert poster business very DIY or do you think it’s becoming more professional?

LU:  Both. For every studio that grows and takes on big jobs for big clients, there are several artists just starting out and screenprinting in their apartments or dorm rooms.

FN:  How do you start working with a band?  Does the band approach you directly or are you hired by the promoter of a show?

LU:  While I used to chase after bands I wanted to work for, now the majority of my work comes directly from promoters and bands who find me.

FN:  Do you try to create posters that mirror the music of the band you are designing for or do you get inspiration from other sources?

LU:  It’s important for me to design a poster that is appropriate for the band, and that the fans connect with.

FN:  What’s involved (the steps) in producing a poster for a band?

LU:  It differs from job to job. Sometimes the band may have an idea, or would reference one of my other posters and say “something like this,” or the ball’s in my court to come up with something. I’ll usually send out a rough pencil sketch of the idea, and maybe block in some color. Once that is approved I’ll move right to the finished design.

FN:  You’ve worked with indie and well known major label artists.  Which do you prefer to work with?  Which allows you more creative freedom?

LU:  Oddly enough, I’ve had more freedom with bigger bands. I think smaller/indie  bands want to be more a part of the whole process, and I’m cool with that. Up and coming bands are often just establishing their visual identity, so they’re a bit more guarded. Not to say I haven’t worked with some big bands that were picky, but I often get more input/critiques with indie bands.

FN:  How did you start working with bands like Kiss and Slpknot to produce their merch?

LU:  I work with two major merchandising companies that are pretty much responsible for all the shirts you see at stores like Hot Topic and the like.  So, through those two companies I’ve done work for Kiss, Slipknot, HIM, Ozzy Osbourne, and Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few.

FN:  I noticed you’re a member of the Minnesota chapter of the International Cartoon Conspiracy.  What’s that all about and how are you involved?

LU:  It’s a group of Minneapolis cartoonists that meet monthly and “jam,” produce mini-comics (usually Xeroxed DIY kind of things), and produce box-sets of comics called Lutefisk Sushi.  A poster maker friend of mine hooked me up with that group when I moved to town.

FN:  There seems to be a lot of very talented and well known poster artists in Minneapolis.  Aesthetic Apparatus, FLORAFAUNA, etc.  Why do you think that is?

LU:  Minneapolis has a great music scene, so that helps. The art/design/music scene in general here is awesome.

FN:  Who are your favorite poster artists?

LU:  Guy Burwell, Ivan Minsloff, Tooth , Little Friends of Printmaking, Drew Millward, Tyler Stout, Willem Kolvoort, Mark Pedini, Print Mafia, Budai, Methane Studios, Aesthetic Apparatus, and Miss Amy Jo to name a few.

FN:  Any advice for our budding poster designers on Figment?

LU:  Look at Gigposters.com, figure out what you like and why you like it. Then put your own spin on it. Steer clear of cheesy PhotoShop filters and lame fonts. Hand-drawn text almost always looks cool. Don’t steal other people’s work.

FN:  Where can people find out more about you and purchase your work?

LU:  My website is LonnyUnitus.com, or you can look me up at Gipgosters.com.

FN:  Have you ever created concert posters for fake bands before?

LU:  Not yet.

When I started putting together our Figment Concert Poster Contest I went on the web to do some research on who were some of the top new poster designers, and in doing so I stumbled across GigPosters.com.  The site is a virtual treasure trove of concert posters and is great way to bring yourself up-to-speed on designers across the country.

Clay Hayes is the mastermind behind the site, and since 2001 has built it into the world’s largest historical archive of posters with over 100,000 works from more than 1,000 designers.  With the release of his new book “Gig Posters Volume 1:  Rock Show Art of the 21st Century” he’s helping to bring more attention to this deserving group of artists.

Figment News: How did you first get interested in concert posters, and what led you to create GigPosters.com?

Clay Hayes: I used to play in a band, and collected the flyers from our shows. I was a computer programmer, and wanted to create a website, so it naturally came to me to create a site about gig posters.

FN: In this age of digital downloads and disposable culture many may see concert posters as a relic of the past. Why do you think they endure, and are they enjoying a renaissance of sorts?

CH: I think it is always interesting to look back historically and see where a band played, and who they played with. These days, with MP3s etc, posters are a great way to have a piece of art that relates to the bands you like, to hang on your wall.

FN: Are concert posters more than just ads?

CH: They can be more than just ads to those who collect posters, and fans who want memorabilia to hang on their walls.

FN: Many concert poster designers seem to be musicians themselves. Do you think that’s a prerequisite or just a function of them being artistic, creative people?

CH: I think it is just part of being involved in the scene. I’m sure being musicians, like I was, sparked their interest in posters.

FN: So how does the site work? Does it cost the designers to submit and display their work? Can anyone submit their poster designs?

CH: The site is free for everyone. Anyone can submit posters and interact.

(Editor’s Note: Only posters for real gigs can be submitted. Please do not submit any fake band concert posters to GigPosters.com)

FN: I noticed that a lot of designers use your site as their online portfolio. That clearly speaks to your relationship with the designers who use it. Are you friends with a lot of the designers on the site?

CH: I have become friends with many of the designers over the years. 4 times a year, many of us meet in person at the Flatstock poster conventions.

FN: You’ve published a book, “Gig Posters: Rock Show Art of the 21st Century”, that catalogs a number of the designers whose work appears on GigPosters.com. How did you select the designers who are featured in the book?

CH: I narrowed it down to approx 500 of the best designers from the site, then worked with the publisher to find the top 101 that we wanted to showcase in the book.

FN:  Was it hard narrowing down the list of designers to create Volume 1?

CH:  It was very difficult, and tons of amazing poster designers were left out.  Hopefully, I can showcase many more with other volumes of the book.

FN:  Who would you put in your Top 5 designers or is that simply too hard to do?

CH:  I would prefer not to say, as that would just be my personal opinion. Everyone has their own tastes, and discovering favorites is part of the fun of exploring the site, and book.

FN:  I love how you not only provide information about the designers themselves, but also their influences and preferred mediums/methods as well as some background on them. Are you hoping to elevate the design, typography and printing aspects of this art form as well as the profile of the designers themselves?

CH:  I think it just helps people understand where the designers are coming from, and what influences their designs.

FN:  I noticed the book has 101 perforated posters that you can actually take out of the book. Was that a conscious decision to allow people the opportunity to present the art in its original poster form?

CH:   It gives people the opportunity to hang some of the “book versions” of the posters on their wall, and hopefully spark some interest in collecting the real posters.

FN: Where can people pick up Gig Posters Vol. 1?

CH:  http://www.gigposters.com/book

FN: Is Volume 2 already in the works?

CH: Not yet .. but hopefully soon. That is all up to the publisher… and I’m just waiting to find out when it will happen.

Well, all of us at Figment hope it’s soon, because we love Volume 1!  To find out more and stay on top of the newest poster designs, etc. you can follow Clay and GigPosters.com on Twitter and Facebook.

With our Figment Concert Poster Contest in full swing I thought I’d clean out the ole bookmark list and give you some relevant links to check out.  So here it goes -

1.  Having trouble figuring out how to create an authentic rock poster?  Here’s a tutorial.

2.  Minneapolis truly is a rock poster design mecca with Lonny Unitus, Aesthetic Apparatus, FLORAFAUNA and Chuck Ungemach among others calling it home.

3.  It’s also great to read about a band like Os Tornados, a six-piece 50’s & 60’s inspired rock band out of Porto, Portugal, whose keyboardist prefers to draw or paint the band’s posters as a way of translating the band’s analog esthetic. While you’re at it check out their music, it’s great.

4.  And speaking of other great rock poster design mecca’s Portland, OR is no slouch either!

Well that’s it for now.  We have some great interviews coming up, so stay tuned.  In the meantime, if you have an article, site or other piece of interweb flotsam jetsam that you’d like to share let us know about it by posting it as a comment.  Until next time!

We’re pleased to announce that as of today RevSpike will be taking over the reins of User Heavyweight for the month of January from thehoseman.

RevSpike’s irreverent, twisted and hilarious sense of humor can be seen in the bands he’s created including Fustercluck, The Frozen Cement Explosion, Dick, Creepy,  The Flammables, Wonderschlub, Smug Fungus, Slobber Molecule and Byron Udderfly among others.  His new label OEdible Media is not only a delicious play on words, but fast becoming a home to an ecclectic array of artists whose quirks are not only front and center, but celebrated.

Check out his band descriptions, in addition to being well written and funny, they also sport incredible detail, like publicity stills that are priceless.

His album cover design skills are also terrific.  He clearly takes time to create images that are engaging and speak to his artist’s musical style.  Not content to just troll the interwebs for found images, RevSpike often enlists his friends, and in some cases himself (the image above is the picture he used to create Creepy’s “The Devil Made Me Duet” cover), to populate his bands, creating fake artists that seem downright real.

Check out his recent covers for Smug Fungus, Slobber Molecule and Horst Oeuvre and The Hors D’Oeuvres (clearly he’s listening to our podcast – big points Rev).  We can only hope he enters a poster in our Figment Concert Poster Contest!

He’s no slouch when it comes to new ideas either.   Whether it’s producing the first video interview with our Figment News blog, or creating the first soundtracks for a breakfast cereal (Hey Lady!  Ya Dropped Yer Kid!) and an underwear catalog (Under Here…), RevSpike is on the cutting edge of all things fake!

So congratulations RevSpike!  Your work on Figment has earned you Heavyweight status and a big AMEN from all of us!

We’d also like to thank thehoseman for serving as our User Heavyweight last month.  He did a great job reviewing albums and lavishing lucre on those bands he thought deserved it.  My guess is we’ll see him earn the honor again soon, but in the meantime AMEN to you too brother!

Listen:

Click on the player below to listen to our interview with filmmaker Eileen Yaghoobian.

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Background:

Died Young Stayed Pretty is the first full length documentary feature from filmmaker Eileen Yaghoobian.  The movie delves into the world of concert poster artists, and was a project that occupied almost 5 years of her life, most of it on the road.   Eileen self-financed the bulk of the project, which led to her actually staying with the artists she profiled.  Although born of financial necessity this close proximity to her subjects allowed her to capture on film not only the artists at work, but also a level of intimacy that provides a real insight into their creative process.   Edited together from over 250 hours of footage, Died Young Stayed Pretty is a 94-minute journey through the North American concert poster scene, narrated entirely by the artists themselves.

Watch the Trailer:

Find Out More:

Find out about screenings, buy the DVD or shop for movie posters at http://www.diedyoungstaypretty.com

Buy a Died Young Stayed Pretty t-shirt!

Follow Eileen and Died Young Stay Pretty on Facebook.

Check em’ all out and help a fellow artist by picking one up today!

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in which we explain how Figment is out to save Music… or not.

We also talk about how great our new Figment Concert Poster Contest is and why you should enter it.

Larry’s Media Picks

• David Bazan – Curse Your Branches – A great record from the former front man of Pedro the Lion. David is an amazing force in indie rock and it’s easy to forget that he’s an incredible musical talent.
• We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls – In my opinion this is one of the best of 2009.

Eric’s Media Picks

• Fool’s Gold -  A world music collective out of Los Angeles, CA inspired by a shared love of Congolese, Ethiopian, Eritrean and Malian music and American dance-pop.  Oh yeah, and did I mention the lead singer sings in Hebrew?  Cuz he does!

• Dave Rawlings Machine -  This incredible sideman for Gillian Welch finally steps into the spotlight and delivers a fantastic debut solo record.  If you like Americana, folk and bluegrass you’ll love this album.  Sorry, no MySpace tunes, but you can listen to snippets on Amazon.

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